A US judge ruled on Friday that the Justice Department's push to obtain state voter rolls and check them against a federal immigration database in order to demand that states remove voters it deemed ineligible was unlawful.
Deepening ties between Iran and Russia are paying off for both powers, especially on the battlefield. read more
US Vice President JD Vance said in an exclusive interview with Reuters that Iran must make a "meaningful" reduction in its nuclear enrichment capacity to satisfy US demands and end the countries' seven-month war, even as Washington was unsure how Tehran makes decisions in negotiations. read more
China got hold of F-35 components after a UPS worker didn't act on a routing alert that barred moving the shipment through Hong Kong under US export rules. read more
It overtakes a notorious washing machine, which only sent 3.6GB. read more
@#1 ... I was just watching news on this.... turns out the 300k tons of oil for the US is about 18 mins worth.
The total couple of million is less than a tanker full. ...
The conversion rate between tonnes of diesel and barrels of diesel seems to be, at best, confusing.
There see to be different ratios, mainly because "diesel oil" seems to be an ambiguous weigh-to-volume ratio in the realm of measurements.
Having said that, here's one ...
Convert diesel [metric ton] to barrel [us, petroleum]
www.gowebtool.com
... One diesel [metric ton] is equal to how many barrel [US, petroleum]? The answer is 7.3997773769789 ...
Hegseth faces bipartisan backlash over public execution for Fort Hood shooter
www.politico.com
... "I absolutely support the sentence of death, but live-streaming executions is what jihadists do," Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.), a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, said in a social media post. "America is better than that."
Republican Sen. John Curtis of Utah urged Hegseth to "reconsider" the decision.
"A civilization erodes when it cultivates an appetite for executions as a form of entertainment," Curtis said on X. "Secretary Hegseth's plan to livestream the Fort Hood execution risks feeding that appetite."
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), one of the most vocal GOP critics of Hegseth's management of the Pentagon, similarly ripped the effort as "beyond disgusting" on Thursday. "Public executions are what oppressive dictatorships like Iran and Afghanistan do. It should not be happening in America," he said.
A former senior Trump administration official also criticized the move. Joe Kent, who led the National Counterterrorism Center before resigning in March in protest over the Iran war, criticized the tactic as "beneath the dignity" of the country.
"Streaming his execution is not just a stain on our morality -- it also gives the terrorists free propaganda that they will use to radicalize & recruit more terrorists like Hassan [sic]," Kent said on X. ...
OpEd: When ICE hides detainees, constitutional rights go missing
thehill.com
... Thousands of people in ICE custody have been effectively "disappeared" by the U.S. government, according to new reporting by The Associated Press.
The names of immigrant detainees with final orders of removal have vanished from the Online Detainee Locator System, a database that lets families and lawyers find out where detainees are.
Nearly 16,000 people booked into ICE detention in July were subject to final removal, the AP noted " more than one-third of the overall bookings.
This policy of hiding the location of some detainees reflects the cruel and secretive nature of the administration's immigration crackdown. It raises serious logistical and legal issues, and should be recognized for what it is: an assault on due process and constitutional rights.
To be clear, this move does not apply to all detainees " just those with a final order of removal. A final order of removal is a document issued by an immigration judge that directs a non-citizen to leave the U.S.
However, persons with final orders of removal may still have options to re-open their cases or file appeals. Some people with final orders are eligible for humanitarian relief under the United Nations Convention Against Torture, which prohibits sending people back to countries where they would face persecution or torture. Many people are issued final orders because they unintentionally missed a court date, or because a government notice was sent to the wrong address.
That's why the locator system is important. The system is a lifeline for detainees, their families, and their legal counsel. Families use the system to get in touch with their loved ones; immigration attorneys use it to set up meetings with their clients and gather evidence for cases.
As if it were not enough to wipe people's names from the online locator, the Washington Post reports that immigration officials are now barred from revealing the locations of detainees to their relatives or attorneys over the phone. This puts the burden of communication on detainees. Yet it is not easy for people in detention to make phone calls to the outside. Calls are expensive, and often involve long lines and facility restrictions. ...
JD Vance casts doubt on firing squad execution and says he will not watch it
www.bbc.com
... US Vice-President JD Vance has cast doubt on the Pentagon's plans to livestream a firing squad execution of the Fort Hood shooter.
Talking with reporters, Vance expressed doubt that it would happen as planned, saying: "I don't know that that's actually going to happen".
He added, that "if it's through live stream, I'm not going to be watching it". Vance described the actions by former US Army major Nidal Hasan as "the worst terrorist attack on American soil outside of 9/11".
Hasan fatally shot 13 unarmed US soldiers at Fort Hood in 2009, injuring another 32. His execution by firing squad would be the first military execution in more than 60 years. ...
Another view ...
Federal judge rules against Trump DoJ's policy of collecting state voter rolls
www.theguardian.com
... "The Court vacates a policy that has removed United States citizens from the voter rolls in their home states and risks disenfranchising many more -- a policy that flies in the face of duly enacted laws designed to protect Americans," Sooknanan wrote.
Sooknanan said the policy not only violated federal laws, but that the justice department did not have the authority to enact it because Congress gave states the authority to maintain their voter rolls.
"Behind all the window dressing, the challenged policy represents the federal government's attempt to decide who gets to vote," Sooknanan wrote. "But Congress has left that authority where our Constitution has always placed it: with the states." ...
With Americans in a Sour Mood, Democratic Voters Are More Engaged in Midterms
www.pewresearch.org
... Trump approval drops to 30%, as 44% of voters see their vote as against' him.
And while many registered voters will not turn out to vote this fall, Democratic candidates are also buoyed by their supporters' relatively high levels of engagement and stated motivation to vote when compared with those who are backing Republican candidates. For example:
- - - 78% of voters who back their House district's Democratic candidate say it "really matters" which party wins control of Congress " 9 points higher than the share of Republican backers who say this.
- - - In contrast, Republican candidate supporters were 4 points higher on this measure than Democratic supporters at a similar point before the 2022 midterm election.
The partisan gap is also wide on other measures of engagement: Democratic supporters are 14 points more likely than Republican supporters to say they have given this year's election "a lot" of thought and 17 points more likely to say they are "extremely motivated" to vote this year.
A new Pew Research Center survey of 5,062 U.S. adults -- including 3,917 registered voters -- conducted Sept. 28-Oct. 4, 2026, also finds that Donald Trump's approval rating now stands at 30% -- the lowest of his second term.
Most voters (63%) consider Trump a factor in their vote for Congress, with far more thinking of their choice as a vote against the president (44%) than for him (19%). ...
Talarico steps off Texas Senate campaign trail after flu diagnosis
thehill.com
... Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico stepped off the campaign trail following a flu diagnosis as his GOP opponent, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, launches new attack ads focusing on the Democrat's absence.
Talarico disclosed his illness at a U.S. Hispanic Business Council forum which he joined virtually, saying, "I was ready to eat my favorite quesadilla tacos, but I was starting to feel kind of under the weather a few days ago, and last night it got so bad that I went to the urgent care here in Dallas." ...
Trump Mobile hack and apparent lack of FCC authorization raise security alarms
arstechnica.com
... Trump Mobile apparently failed to obtain necessary authorizations to operate the international calling portion of its phone service, Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) wrote in a letter to the company today.
Her letter said Trump Mobile also doesn't appear to have submitted a required plan for fighting robocalls. Trump Mobile's key business partner, Liberty Mobile Wireless, did make a robocall database filing, but it was not complete, Hassan said.
Hassan's letter raised questions about Trump Mobile's security related to a report that hackers stole personal data of 3,615 customers and Trump Mobile's previous confirmation that a vendor it uses exposed customers' personal data on the Internet. Hassan alleged that Trump Mobile failed to follow multiple FCC filing rules that are supposed to help ensure the security of mobile services.
"The apparent absence of authorization for Trump Mobile international services raises questions about who is providing or reselling the international telecommunications services advertised by Trump Mobile, the authority under which those services are being provided, and the company's commitment to complying with requirements designed to safeguard national security," Hassan told Trump Mobile CEO Patrick O'Brien. ...
Related ...
US trade balance sinks deeper into the red as imports hit record high despite tariffs
www.newsobserver.com
... The US trade deficit widened more than expected in August as imports jumped to a record high against the backdrop of robust domestic demand, keeping trade on track to again subtract from economic growth in the third quarter.
The deterioration reported by the Commerce Department on Tuesday was despite President Donald Trump's aggressive tariffs on imports, which he has argued are meant to shrink the trade gap. The nation posted record goods trade deficits with at least three countries, including Mexico. ...
The trade shortfall increased 13.7% to $105.6 billion, the largest since March 2025, the Commerce Department's Bureau of Economic Analysis and Census Bureau said. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast the deficit would be $102.0 billion.
@#1 ... "If you don't want a nuclear weapon, then why do you need 60% enriched fuel? And if you want to show commitment to not building a nuclear weapon, don't build highly enriched fuel. That's a very basic threshold issue," Vance said. ...
I could not agree more.
But then I would also ask a follow-up question to VP Vance ...
Why did Pres Trump tear up the prior agreement with Iran (The JCPOA agreement was finalized in Vienna on 14 July 2015, between Iran and the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) -- China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States -- plus Federal Republic of Germany)[a] together with the European Union. Iran, the EU, the US and Russia and China -- en.wikipedia.org )?
That prior agreement limited Iran to a less than 6% or so enrichment level, and a massive inspection ability by the IAEA.
OK, so now, how is Pres Trump's current deal that he seems to be trying to put into place with Iran better or worse than the JCPOA?
@#46 ... States suing to have Trump removed from the ballot. Judges essentially predetermining the outcome of a presidential election. ...
So, then, your current alias seems to be OK with the election win of fmr Pres G.W. Bush?
Bush v. Gore
en.wikipedia.org
... Bush v. Gore, 531 U.S. 98 (2000), is a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court on December 12, 2000, that settled a recount dispute in Florida's 2000 presidential election between George W. Bush and Al Gore. On December 8, 2000, the Florida Supreme Court ordered a statewide recount of all undervotes, over 61,000 ballots that the vote tabulation machines had missed.
The Bush campaign immediately asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stay the decision and halt the recount. On December 9, the U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari and issued the stay. The case was argued before the Court on December 11. On December 12 the Court held, in a 5"4 per curiam decision, that no constitutional recount could be conducted in the remaining time, which was short because the Florida legislature wanted to take advantage of the federal "safe harbor" for its electors to be free from challenge.[1] ...
@#4 ... We have passed the Event Horizon. ...
Apropos?